update. good morning. up in the air, the crowd is building, the marchers ready, but will high winds ground the iconic balloons at the macy's thanksgiving parade. a taste of home. u.s. troops overseas finding their own way to celebrate today's big holiday. >> happy thanksgiving. >> while connecting with loved ones thousands of miles away. and why wait? planning on a side of shopping with your turkey and pumpkin pie? some stores are already open this morning. your guide to the best bargains, today, thanksgiving day, thursday, november 28, 2013. from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and

savannah guthrie. >> and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on this thanksgiving morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm matt lauer. happy thanksgiving. we're coming to you from 34th street, midtown manhattan, the finish line for the 87th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. it's going to be a spectacular. lots of new elements this year. of course, one of the big keys this year is going to be the weather, as you alluded to in the open. >> al roker is along the parade route. we have willie and natalie folding down the fort in studio 1-a. i think we better get to al. that's the big question, will these big balloons be able to fly? >> in short, guys, i think the answer is yes. the real question will be how high will those balloons be. let's look and show you, right now the winds are coming out of the northwest. and the good news is, they're not that strong.

the sustained winds, sustained winds anywhere from 18 miles per hour. so at 9:00 they may pick up a mile or two. and then by the afternoon, they will start to diminish. but the good news for the parade, i think that's as strong as the winds will be. it's going to be cold. upper 20s, mid 30s. windchills will be in the mid teens. the winds sustained about 20 miles per hour. gusts at 30. the threshold for these balloons sustained winds at 23 miles per hour. wind gusts at 34 miles per hour. we're going to be below that. they're going to make that determination really at about 8:45. they will determine this. but i do think the balloons will fly. they may bring them down a little bit but, guys, matt and savannah, i think folks will not be disappointed today. >> that's good news, al. you talk about the winds and you also mention the temperature. willie and natalie, you're there in the studio. someone called us in july and said, would you like to host the macy's parade. >> sounded like a good idea. >> but it's really chilly out

here. anyway, mind over matter, we're not complaining. >> that's right. >> how are you guys doing this morning? >> thankful to be in the nice warm studio. >> nice and comfy here in the studio, guys. >> fires are burning. >> meanwhile, we're about to celebrate thanksgiving here in new york and all across the country. the celebration is already under way in afghanistan where, as you know, lots of american troops are stationed. nbc's richld -- richard engel is in afghanistan on this thanksgiving morning. happy thanksgiving to you. >> reporter: thank you, matt. there are still about 48,000 u.s. troops here in afghanistan. it is a privilege to be with some of them. as you can hear, the morale is high. on fire base torkum, one of the last american outposts in eastern afghanistan by the border of pakistan, thanksgiving starts with a turkey trot it. >> has to be at 5:30 in the morning.

>> reporter: 3.2 miles right up a mountain. they call it the climb to glory. hard enough, even harder carrying 80 pounds of mortar, or if you're not trained for this. >> you've got to do two laps. >> i thought it was the finish. thanks a lot. >> reporter: a day to reflect and boost morale for chaos company. >> back home, many of our families will be having a football game in the backyard and preparing their turkeys. you would be doing that. but we're with our families today. >> reporter: curtis perry was promoted to sergeant first class today, this is perry's fourth thanksgiving in iraq or afghanistan. >> i guess being away from family, but the job, it's what we have to do. >> reporter: in his room perry connects by internet with his wife kelly in florida and their daughter arabella. she's almost 3. chaos company is taking a down day. pistol shooting on a range and volleyball, the troops keep their weapons close by.

this base was attacked in september. there were no serious injuries. sergeant speak has a daughter named angel. she's with her mom in delaware. >> i miss the turkey. i really have like, you know, a -- our family fries turkey. i haven't had that in a long time. >> reporter: at noon sharp, chow time. no fried turkey, but ham, stuffing, and sides. sparkling grape juice, and non-alcoholic beer. in an old military tradition, commanders serve the lower ranks. >> it felt good telling them what to do. put some meat on my plate. >> reporter: a little taste of home in a war zone that at least here for a few hours today didn't much feel like one. and the soldiers here have one more thing they would like to say, and it is -- >> happy thanksgiving, america! >> reporter: matt, savannah, back to you. >> richard, thank you so much. and we would like to say thank you to them for their service. >> not only in afghanistan but our men and women serving all around the world. we're going to have much more here in a couple of minutes, but

right now, let's go back to the nice warm studio where natalie and willie are hanging out. >> all right, guys. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> be tough to top that greeting from afghanistan but we'll try this morning. we have new developments on the troubled health care rollout. meanwhile, kate snow is here with that. >> the obama administration has said it will have the troubled obama care website working for most americans by the end of the month. but this morning there's another huge setback affecting small businesses. nbc white house correspondent kristen welker is at the white house with the latest this morning. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: kate, good morning to you. tech experts are working through this holiday weekend to make sure the website is running smoothly by the end of saturday, but on wednesday, as you say, there was more bad news. the administration announced small businesses, those with 50 employees or fewer, won't be able to enroll in health care through healthcare.gov for another year. those businesses will still be able to sign up as they currently do through an agent or

a broker. now, the administration says the move is necessary so that technicians can focus on fixing the website for individuals. some in the small business community know it's disappointment and a concern the delay could add more confusion to an already complicated process. republicans pounced with house speaker john boehner saying the delay was an indication the president bit off more than he could chew with this health care law. administration officials say they're still on track for having it working well by this weekend, meaning it would be able to support as many as 50,000 users at one time. all of this comes with another shake-up of the website. the administration says hewlett-packard will replace verizon as the site's web provider. a move they say has been in the works since the spring. kate? >> kristen, since we have you, it is thanksgiving. how will the first family be spending the holiday? >> reporter: the obama family will be spending thanksgiving every year right here at the white house enjoying a traditional thanksgiving meal.

on wednesday they continued other holiday traditions though. handing out meals at a local food bank and, of course, the president pardoned the national thanksgiving turkey. this year a bird named popcorn who, by the way, was spared in part because of an online vote. he beat out the alternate bird caramel. >> okay. kristen welker at the white house this morning. more fallout this morning surrounding the national security agency's surveillance program. canadian authorities reportedly allowed the u.s. agency to run a spying operation during the g-8 and g-20 summits in ontario in 2010. that's according to cbc news. it cites documents leaked by former u.s. government analyst edward snowden. the documents don't mention specific targets of the spying effort but say plans were closely coordinated with canada. an investigation is under way after a deadly crane collapsed in sao paolo, brazil, at the site of next year's world

cup soccer match. at least two people were killed when the crane collapsed on top of the metal structure. that stadium is scheduled to host the opening match of the world cup and five other games including a semifinal. crews there are scrambling to finish six stadiums in the country by the end of this year. over the river and through the woods hasn't been so easy for millions of americans this year. take a look at the heavily traveled 405 freeway. look at the lights in los angeles. that's last night in l.a. it was a virtual parking lot for no other reason but heavy holiday traffic. up the eastern seaboard, soggy, snowy weather made the journey home kind of tough. but the worst case weather scenarios did not become a reality. so we are thankful on this thanksgiving that it wasn't worse. a lighting ceremony at the national menorah marked the beginning of the national -- excuse me, the jewish festival, hanukkah, on wednesday night, also known as the festival of lights. hanukkah is an eight-day jewish holiday featuring the lighting of the nine candles on the

menorah. the first white house menorah lighting was in 1979. president reagan latest dubbed it the national menorah. controversy in the world of sports wednesday night in the final seconds of the new jersey nets/lakers game, nets was down by two. no time-outs left when head coach jason kidd suddenly lost his soda but did he do it on purpose? you see an elbow throw there inadvertent shoulder into kidd while he was coming off the floor there. that's taylor hitting him. watch the slo-mo, he appears to even say hit me as he walks up to him. maybe trying to buy some time. the lakers ended up winning anyway. didn't work. >> that will teach him, right? that's unsportsmanlike conduct there. >> it's not allowed. >> the guy calling the game, former nba coach, oh, yeah, i used to do that all the time. spill your drink on the court, buys you 30 seconds. >> he actually mouthed "hit me" and caught on camera. >> all right, kate, thank you. let's head back to al at the

start of the macy's thanksgiving parade for more on the holiday forecast. mr. roker? >> hit me. hit me. hit me. come on. >> that's coming in handy, al. >> i'm telling you. nice little facial warmth. i like this thing. it's fantastic. i tell ya. for all the 16 giant balloons, let's take a -- i want you to look at the wind sock up here. this is one of the areas they are going to be monitoring on our other camera, if you take a look. right now not too bad. i think we're going to be okay. that's looking pretty good. our friends down south, our friends down south, they are dealing with some cold air. we've got freeze warnings. hard freeze warnings from texas all of the way into florida. key west, they broke their record. the record -- string of 70-degree days at 233. dipped below there. teen, 30s, into the 30s. afternoon highs, not much warmer as you check it out.

tampa, 52 for a high. atlanta, 30. dallas, a high of 36 degrees. rest of the country today, the good news is, things pretty calm. we're seeing some snow showers around the great lakes, some rain in pacific northwest moves in. for the most part, everybody, if you're where you're need to be, you're in great shape. we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. >> good thanksgiving morning to you. temperatures are going to be comfortable out there for today.

71 degrees in the north bay, san francisco 64 and 68 degrees along the peninsula. your city by city highs, we'll see plenty of upper 60s in san jose, saratoga and morgan hill, menlo park 68 degrees, and the mid market section of san francisco touching on the 70s, i want to show you your seven-day outlook for the peninsula. much cooler into next week. and that's your latest weather. willie? >> al, thanks. we'll see you in a bit. before you sit down for your holiday feast you may want to turn your attention to the sky. the so-called comet of the century is set for a close encount we're the sun and it could be a spectacular show. nbc is in cairo this morning. tell us about this comet. >> reporter: goodd morning, willie. astronomers from around the world have been coming to observatories like this one for centuries, gazing at the stars above, hoping to get some answers into our complex solar

system. today perhaps they're about to get one of the biggest clues into the origins of our planet. it's the must see event of the universe. around the planet, viewers are setting their sights high in the sky, all to catch a glimpse of comet ison, or what some are calling the thanksgiving comet. >> it's once in a lifetime opportunity for the average person. >> reporter: the ison comet is as old as earth itself, more than 4 1/2 billion years old. and that's why it's so important. >> comets are always great. they are natural labs to tell us about the origin of the solar system. >> reporter: ison is one of a rare breed. it has circled the sun making it a sun glazer comet. a journey that may end with its disintegration. >> it guess very close to the sun. the tail lights up the magnetic field of the sun. >> reporter: the ancient egyptian pharaohs used the sun

to tell time. >> what would the time be right now? >> just at 3:30. >> reporter: and built their pyramids to line up with the stars above. in the bible when three wise men noticed the shooting star, or a likely comet, it marked the birth of jesus christ. but comets have also fueled paranoia for centuries. some have warned itself just a matter of time before a comet like ison slams into earth. >> it's actually not going to get anywhere near us. just enjoy it. don't worry about it. this is a true gift from the cosmos. >> reporter: if ison survives the sun the visibility should peak in the next few weeks creating perhaps the most spectacular show on earth. guys, i can report with some confidence that none of the astronomers here in egypt we've been speaking to have seen the ison comet yet but they say don't give up hope. it could be a little late just like some of the travelers this holiday thanksgiving. guys, natalie, willie, back to you. >> you've got a great vantage point there. ayman mohyeldin in cairo.

thanks so much. >> this is an epic thanksgiving. it's thanksgivukkah and ison comet as well all coming together at the same time. >> you don't know where to begin celebrating there's so much to celebrate. let's go back out to matt and savannah at their post at the parade with a preview again. >> thanks very much. look who has joined us in this beautiful blue coat. >> thank you very much. >> executive producer of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving to you too. thanks for being with us once again this year. >> we're happy to be here. let's just, you know, cut right to the chase. >> yeah. >> i see your hair moving a little. >> it is. >> a little breezy here today. what's going to happen with these balloons? >> we don't know. we're going to wait until the new york police department tells us if they're going to fly or not. it seems great. we're optimistic. we're going forward as if everything is okay. i'm feeling good that they're going to be up in the sky. >> it's truly a game time call. >> it is. >> within moments of the start of the parade?

>> yes. all the balloons are lined up, fully inflated. we've got 15 giant balloons, close to 40 smaller balloons. they were all inflated on the upper west side last night and they look great. >> i love the balloons but i also love the floats. when we're sitting up here in our broadcast person they come at high level. >> they do. >> we have new ones including one which is as active as any float i've seen. >> the folks at cirque de >> the folks at cirque de soleil will be warm. parade is some of its parts. it's got 30 floats, 11 high school and college marching bands, over 900 clowns. seeing something at every height is important in new york because people are watching it on the street but they're also up in their buildings. there is something for everybody and something at every height. we've got inflatables not only on the sky but on the ground. >> i don't mean to be balloon obsessed, but there are new balloons this year. >> four brand new balloons. spongebob squarepants. in the past few years, he's been jealous about santa getting all media attention so he's put on a santa hat. toothless from "how to train your dragon" is in the parade.

and snoopy is going to lead the charge. 37 flight in the thanksgiving day parade. >> woodstock. >> bird's-eye view of the parade route. >> let's say first of all, thanks to all the volunteers and all the people who are going to be marching in this parade, 2 1/2 miles in some pretty chilly temperatures. >> yes. >> they really pour their hearts out the streets of new york. >> 9,000 people in this parade. they've been up all night. they were up last night. our bands, sometimes -- sometimes it's the first time they're in new york city and they're performing at 3:00 in the morning. they're trying to understand where they're going and it's not a parade until i hear that first beat of the parade drum. >> you try and play a tuba when it's 28 degrees outside. >> and run. >> yeah. thank you so much. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. yes. >> willie and natalie, send it back to you. >> check back in shortly. we do have our own parade going on this morning in the orange room. >> we do. digital expert, mario armstrong

in this morning. happy thanksgiving. >> thanks, guys. thanks for having me here. happy thanksgiving to all of you and to all of you at home, happy thanksgiving to you. check this out. i have a beautiful way you can check out the parade live right from your home. we're going to be following the parade all morning but you can do this with a free app called banjo. the first time this app is being shown on a national morning tv show because we are the awesomeness in digital here. you can pull up photos, tweets, pictures, all types of things right from the actual feed. look at them waiting outside already. already outside hanging out there. and what you can see is not only instagram posts, not only facebook, but also youtube, twitter, everything. you can also see the whole parade route. if you wanted to, you could say, oh, what's happening right here along the parade route and you will see all the posts that are happening. this is a really cool way to experience the parade from your couch while you wait for us at 9:00 a.m. >> i downloaded banjo on your recommendation last time, mario. >> it's free.

>> i'm on to it. thank you. >> and mario gives us a new tagline. awesomeness in digital. >> yes. >> thank you, mario. coming up, switching gears, former husband expected in court today at a trial with the famed chef has been accused of having a secret drug habit. we are live in london. then, the shopping, the black friday deals available today now on thanksgiving, but is it really worth it to burn off the calories by running from store to store on this holiday? but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] some things are simply better at home.

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for a limited time, get the galaxy s4 for just $99.99 when you trade in your current smartphone and sign a qualifying 2-year agreement. a very good morning to you. happy thanksgiving. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. police in san jose are looking for two people involved in what police saul a random shooting. it happened just before 4:00 this morning near state and east virginia streets. investigators say a man and woman in their 20s were sitting on their porch when two people approached the house and shot them. then took off. police say their injuries are not life threatening and it appears the victims and suspects did not know each other. >> a car careened off of a cliff. it happened after midnight in san mateo county. a helicopter called in to help rescue four people in the

one climbed up the side of the mountain to find help. luckily no one was seriously hurt. the car is under investigation. police arrested a suspect in the latest homicide. they are not releasing the name but did tweet out this morning that someone is in custody for the shooting death of pedro cortez. his body was found saturday in capital park. i want to check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> thank you. happy thanksgiving. temperatures are going to be mild today. the one thing we have to deal with is the storm system bringing in plenty of high and mid level clouds, maybe an isolated shower throughout the day. mostly along the south bay and south end of the peninsula. nothing heavy. you don't need to bring that umbrella with you. we're looking dry across the greater bay area. you can see the skies are cloudy. temperatures comfy. 68 in the south bay. the peninsula about 68 degrees as well. low 70s for the north bay and san francisco. just a few clouds by the end of the day. so, hopefully you're going to

have a great thanksgiving. if you are waking up in atherton, redwood city, 67 degrees, cloudy out there. the seven-day forecast scrolling here at the bottom of your screen. next week i can tell you it is going to be much colder out there. back to you. >> that's right. hope you enjoy today and have a wonderful thanksgiving with friends and family. i'll be back in about half an hour.

and we're back now, 7:30 on a thursday morning. thanksgiving morning, november 28th, 2013. you're looking at the scene on 34th street in midtown manhattan as the rehearsal for the broadway musical "kinky boots" is under way, part of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. those folks are going to be strutting their stuff before 3.5 million people and 50 million more at home in just a couple of minutes. >> good morning. i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer. "kinky boots", the boots are part of the show, the blanket, as part of rehearsal. it is pretty cold out here. chilly, we've got some wind. al roker is going to be along in

a few moments, give us the forecast because i think the big question on everyone's mind is, whether those giant balloons are going to be able to fly. >> obviously that's a big part of the parade. people look forward to that year to year. there are so many other elements to this parade. the marching brands and the broadway shows and the giant floats and 8,000 people participate. many of them just volunteers who like to put on a great show and they do it so well on thanksgiving morning. >> 2.5-mile route takes place over three hours. it's going to be a lot of fun. we will check back in in a couple of moments, but now we have willie and natalie toasting themselves by the fire. >> thank you. >> just for our viewers at home, if we widen out the shot you see that matt is also wearing the kinky boots. >> thanksgiving for matt. >> we'll take it on you. see you in a bit. here's a look at what else is making headlines today. conditions are finally improving on the roads and airports this holiday morning but the massive

storm canceled 300 flights on wednesday. >> a frightening situation in inglewood, california, came to an end overnight. a man who opened fire on police and held two people captive for nearly nine hours released his hot h hostages unharmed and gave himself up. close encounter with the sun in a matter of hours for ison, the most closely watched comet in years. nasa scientists say they are already seeing it live. be sure to look up. coming up, should you skip that extra helping of mashed potatoes and head to the mall today? >> but let's begin this half hour with a court case that is making headlines around the world, one issue being raised, serious allegations that celebrity chef nigella lawson has been a daily drug abuser for years. nbc's michelle kaczynski is at the courthouse in london. >> reporter: they're on trial accused of racking up more than

a million dollars on her then husband's credit cards over five years. their defense is that nigella didn't mind as long as they kept secret her daily cocaine habit. and now her ex who is really the assistants' alleged victim here, says he believes their story. the headlines have been ugly. drugs, nigella for a woman famous for her home cooking and sweet disposition. >> really all you need is a twist of ingenuity, a few foods on stand by and fabulously easy express recipes. >> reporter: her new show about to debut in america. >> this, the new competition, with the real bite. >> this is appalling. >> that offended me. >> i'm disappointed. >> reporter: over the summer it was nigella the apparent victim when her then husband seemed to choke her and twist her nose at a restaurant. he called it a playful tiff and denied ever abusing her. now though the defense for the two grillo sisters, former

personal assistants, accused of ringing up more than a million dollars on saatchi's company credit card says that infamous argument might be over what they characterized nigella's years' long daily cocaine habit and sprip prescription drug abuse. they said they could spend as long as they kept it a secret. an e-mail saatchi sent nigella read in court. now the grillos will get off now that you and mimi were so off your heads on drugs that you allowed the sisters to spend whatever you liked and, yes, i believe what the sisters have said, who, overall, only stole money. you, however, higella, poisoned your daughter with drugs. >> crisis deelectably averted. >> especially if you built your image around being wholesome, around the family dinner table

and then open the doors and say, wait a minute, there's a lot going on. people could be turned off by that. >> reporter: nigella hasn't commented on these allegations but we expect her to testify as soon as possible and hear from her ex-husband charles saatchi on the stand today. back to you guys. >> shocking story there. thank you. let's head back out to al along the parade route. >> "today"'s weather is brought to you by walmart, the first and only place to go on black friday. >> and we've got a beautiful morning here. a little on the breezy side but not breezy enough to keep those balloons from flying. they may bring them down a little bit but i think that will be the worst of it. let's show you what's going on as far as today is concerned. we are looking again at beautiful weather. but these temperatures, while they're chilly here, look at the warmth over the weekend will be spreading east from the west into the midwest and eventually making its way. then you see by next week colder

is coming and we've got a big storm into the pacific northwest and plains. today, windy. a few lake-effect snow showers. chilly throughout the gulf coast into the southeast. let's bring in country star brett eldridge. may thanksgiving. >> how are you doing, my friend? >> i'm doing great. you're going to be riding on the domino's sugar float? >> sweet. >> very sweet. sweet is what i like to say. so this is your first time in the parade, right? >> yes, very first. last year i was at the beach watching it on tv. i watched it as a kid growing up my whole life. it's kind of a dream come true doing this. i'm excited. >> we're asking folks to #whyi'mtha #whyi'mthankful. why are you thankful? >> i'm a big family guy. my mother and brother are out here on the streets happy about it. >> you're going to be on float. you're going to be singing. as soon as you get off you've got to run to the airport.

>> i got to run to the airport. flying to atlanta to do a tree lighting with macy's up there. man, this is a craziest day ever. i'm on cloud nine, for sure. >> congratulations. "beat to the music" current hit on the country music charts. >> life is good right now. >> a lot to be thankful for. all right. that's what's go happy thanksgiving to you bay area. what a treat we're in store for today. temperatures are going to climb into the mid to upper 60s, a couple of 70s in the north bay today. really comfortable. the only thing we have to deal with is mostly cloudy skies. these clouds will clear out by the end of the day into tonight. a lot of people are going to kick off their shopping. your thanksgiving shopping, this is san jose 52 at 8:00. 1:00, 63 and 63 at dinner time. oh, man, the bands are practicing. we've got everybody lined up. we've got the clowns clowning.

it's all happening. >> al, i'd just like to point out you've got the original pilgrim look going for you today. your hat, all you need is a little buckle on top. >> yeah, i do. in fact, i've got my musket just off to the side. >> the beard has really sprouted. >> the beard grew overnight. >> yes. me and miles standish are going to shake shack later. >> it's right behind you. go check it out, al. good to see you. >> all right. coming up next, is it really worth abandoning the turkey and all the fixings for those bargains at the stores today, opening today? the very first male spokesperson for the butterball turkey talk line is here to answer your questions on this turkey day right after this. as your life changes, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust along the way,

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>r arp are you p yop your traditionyour tra yop your traditionyour trpp open for business on this thanksgiving. here with the discounts and dealing that away you, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> happy thanksgiving. >> to you, too. >> start with a big question. i'm sitting at my thanksgiving table. is it worth it for me to get up and go out shopping? >> if you have your heart's set on a specific item, it might be worth it. right now doror-busters about specific items. a different model, different brand, you might want to wait. >> in this digital age, why go online? why wait in the cold or get up at thanksgiving? are the deals different online than in the stores? >> a little different in the sense it's a limited quantity in the stores. had you go online, you can actually get different types of deals. you might be maybe paying a little more for the actual product but might get free

shipping, a rebate card, also a gift certificate for the online store. in ways you have to weigh out the opportunity costs. might be getting less of a discount if you buy there versus going on and sitting out there and waiting for product. >> look at some of the stores open. walmart black thursday deals start at 6:00 p.m. today. a gradual rollout plan. >> right. exactly. if you go over to walmart, 6:00 p.m., that, i want to make sure i get it right. for walmart, they're going to be selling ipads at 6:00 p.m. also toys and video games, and 8:00 p.m., rolling out the big ticket items. so you're going to start seeing discounts on the tvs, the headphones and the other big ticket items as well. >> look at another one already open, actually. kmart opened at 6:00 this morning. what can people look for there? >> again, they're having major discounts on tablets as well as tvs and then as we get into the day, they're going to have more discounts on those tablets and

tvs as well. >> another one. best buy. opens at 6:00 tonight. they're the ones with these door-buster deals. what does that mean exactly? >> extra deals they have. these offers that are beyond what you can even imagine. you have discounts on tvs, for example. best buy sells electronics, much better than you soo e in the stores. you go to best buy, they're going to be handing out tickets for door-busters. you get a ticket, wait in line and get allocated to the actual tv or whatever you're standing in line for. at 11:00, a surprise door-buster deal. no one know what's it is. i tried to find out for you, willie. no one knows. you'll have to find out then. >> target opens at 8:00, last one. featured on their website, thanksgiving deals. what does that mean? >> a lot of the deals they had in target are now online. so you don't have to go out to target to find the same deals. one, for example, i'm very in to

the beach by dre headphones offered at $119 on the websites. >> there are good deals for some people worth it to go out and shop. >> there are. >> thank you so much. happy thanksgiving. over to natalie and kate. and the butterball turkey ban. >> mario armstrong. the very first male spokesperson by mario. >> top line has been in existence, are you feeling for this pressure? >> i'm ready, mario. >> a lot of people are thinking abouting cooking the turkey advice? >> enjoy the experience. just enjoy it. >> that's it? no matter how it tastes? >> just chill. enjoy your turkey. >> there you have it. don't worry about the turkey you but enjoy the experience. if they don't have a butterball turkey, can they call in and get help? >> absolutely. we love all turkey cooked out there. doesn't matter if you have a butterball or not. the turkey talk line is for you. >> hanging out with us in the

orange room. tweet you hit the phone. #orangeroom or facebook, and all the viewers putting in videos and pictures using the hash tag, my kind of holiday. keep it coming. keep it coming! we love this stuff. it's great stuff. back to you. >> this is my kind of holiday. mar mario, thank so much. if want to enjoy the holiday feast without packing on the pounds, that's coming up next. and the macy's thanksgiving day parade, right after this. trade you harris for smith. cmon, let's go! good trade or bad trade? sounds desperate. sorry man my analyst says no. i gotta go. the new galaxy note 10.1 allows you and everyone in your family to have separate user profiles on the same tablet. it keeps you logged in to your favorite apps. keeping your personal files personal. and knows what you care about most

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thanksgiving parade. macy's is to our right. this is the finish line. this is where santa will come signaling the start of the christmas season. 3 1/2 million people will watch it here in new york. as we mentioned before, some 50 million people will watch it at home. and the weather, the sun couldn't be brighter. the wind is a little bit of an issue and it is a little bit chilly for the people marching in this parade. >> a little bit chilly. according to al roker, we think the balloons will ultimately fly. game time decision at the last minute. it is a little chilly. >> willie and natalie, as we throw in to you we want to say we've been cheating a little bit. i want you to see ray down here with the magic heater. >> oh! >> i do not feel sorry for you anymore. >> back to you guys in the studio. happy thanksgiving. >> cheaters. >> happy thanksgiving. look forward to seeing you today. coming up on "trending," car

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a very good morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. police in san jose looking for two people involved in what police call a random shooting. it happened before 4:00 this morning near state and east virginia streets. investigators say a man and woman in their 20s were sitting on the porch when two people approached the house and shot them. one of the suspects reportedly ran away, the other drove away. police say their injuries are not life threatening and appears the victims and the suspects did not know each other. san jose police also arresting a police in the latest homicide. they are not releasing the suspect's game but the police chief tweeted throughout morning that someone is in custody for the shooting death of pedro cortez, his body was found saturday. a motive for that murder is unclear. >> the skies are clear this morning. looking forward to a nice forecast. >> thank you. happy thanksgiving. temperatures are going to be

mild today. the one thing we have to deal with is the storm system bringing in plenty of high and mid level clouds, maybe an isolated shower throughout the day. mostly along the south bay and the south end of the peninsula. nothing heavy. you don't need to bring that umbrella. we're looking dry across the greater bay area. you can see the skies are cloudy. temperatures comfy, 68 degrees in the south bay, the peninsula about 68, low 70s for the north bay and san francisco. just a few clouds by the end of the day. so, hopefully you're going to have a great thanksgiving with family and friends. if you are waking up in atherton, temperatures 67 degree, cloudy out there for today. remember, the seven-day forecast scrolling here at the bottom of your screen. next week i can tell you it is going to be much colder out there. back to you. >> thank you very much. we'll have another local update on this thanksgiving morning in about a half hour. in the meantime f you're inside trying to get that bird ready for the oven we'll give you

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♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, whether or not. the latest on the iconic balloons, whether they will fly. and need any last-minute turkey tips? the hot line is here to help. who answers your call just might surprise you. plus, 'tis the season for some of the best movies of the year. which ones are worth the trip to the theater. "today," thanksgiving day, thursday, november 28, 2013. ♪ how you love me but you did, but you did ♪ >> the girls in the big apple! happy thanksgiving! >> happy thanksgiving! >> woke up at 2:00 a.m. to be here. happy thanksgiving from minneapolis. >> happy thanksgiving!

rom the beaches of san diego to chilly new york city, happy thanksgiving! >> the "today" show, we're going to the parade! amp t after the "today" show! [ cheers ] great, great crowd today. welcome back to "today" on this thanksgiving morning. i'm natalie morales along with willie geist. great throwback thursday song. nice choice for thanksgiving. >> "i thank you." good on any day. this is maybe my favorite day in new york city. to be out here with all these people on this special day, this is awesome. >> it is heartwarming. it's cold out here, but the fans are warming us up. by the way, our crowd getting into the thanksgiving spirit. they have all written down why i am thankful, hash tag. we're asking you to participate as well. go on twitter. freedom and family, family and friends. >> how about hot cocoa?

>> i'm with you on that. san diego weather, sorry, you won't get that today. but we'll keep you warm out here. >> very cool. looks like we have a reason to be thankful when it comes to the macy's thanksgiving day parade, al tells us the balloon, don't want to jinx this, will be flying. >> yeah. yeah, guys, right now winds are kind of calm, and, in fact, if you look up here, there's the wind sock. that's one of the monitoring stations that they're going to be checking. they're going to make that decision in about 45 minutes, but i think if you look there, look -- nothing happening. i think that the balloons are flying, at worst -- at worst -- they bring them down a little bit, but i think it's going to be okay. right now the biggest thing is, it's a little chilly. it's not bad. i mean, you listen to matt and savannah, and it's like we're in -- we're in the antarctic. you know? i'm surprised they're still standing. they've been doing so much

"whine," i'm surprised they're not completely prone positioned. it's not that bad! >> al, you don't have a little heater, too? >> space heaters. >> i don't have a heater, man. i don't have a heater man. i have my friends. i got people. they've got heaters, people giving them massages. with hot stones. that's what they have! this is how you do the parade. not down there with the heater man. >> you're going to like it, out in the cold! >> i'm lovin' this! >> this is perfect. >> not like a baby. yeah! >> a little thanksgiving family feuding for us. perfect for the holiday. al, we'll check in with the forecast in the a few minutes. we head inside with a check of the top stories. kate snow is in for me. technical experts working through the holiday to beat the weekend deadline for fixing the obama care website. the administration promised to have has website working for most americans by the end of the month. meantime on wednesday officials

say nou announced a one-year delay for small businesses with 50 employees or less. the u.s. came up with a possible solution to the problem of what to do with some of syria's most lethal chemical weapons. it's offering to destroy them in international waters aboard a u.s. government-owned ship. no country has committed to disposing of the chemicals on its own soil. the worst of the holiday travel backlog appears to s cleared up, only after a soggy last-minute rush that saw airline cancels hundreds of flights wednesday. drivers had to deal with poor visibility and traction caused by snow, ice and rain, but sometimes the problem was just too many cars. look at that. not enough asphalt as we saw last night in los angeles. school security cameras captured the moment of impact of one of dozens of tornadoes that hit the midwest recently. this is what the tornado looked like ripping through a high school in lafayette, ind. this video recorded about two weeks ago was just released. the building was badly damaged.

luckily, nobody hurt, because the twister struck on a sunday when the school was empty. the connecticut doctor who lost his wife and daughters in a 2007 home invasion says his newborn son is a beautiful thanksgiving and christmas gift. dr. william petit says he already had a special bond with little william armer pettitte iii born on saturday. the doctor got remarried last summer. the baby's mother, christine pep ted, is a photographer and took that picture while recovering from her c-section. and selling for more than $650,000 at an auction in london last night. the dino nicknamed misty, a female who stood 55 feet tall, lived about 150 million years ago. the buyer was an undisclosed public institution. and justin bieber's career as a graffiti artist is off to a rough start. officials in queensland, australia are telling a hotel to

remove a mural painted by the pop star and his entourage this week. he per in addition to do it but officials called it a public eyesore. he said he will provide goggles and gloves if bieber wants to come scrub it off and also suggest add free holiday performance in stead. 8:06. time for a check of the weather with al on the parade route. "today's" weather is brought to you by -- unilever. thanking you for helping create a brighter future. join project sunlight.us. all right, guys, we have amy kuehl here with us, executive director of the parade. omi, you're going to give an exclusive. what's the deal on the balloons? >> we are flying the ba loons. >> yes! balloons are flying! [ cheers ] >> very excited. we're going to work with the nypd, telling us exactly how high the balloons can high. but snoopy will be joining the

parade. >> yes, snoopy! >> and a full parade of entertainment and balloons. >> thank you so much. that is great news. you're hearing it here first. let's show you our parade forecast. again, in the upper 20s, low 30s for the temperatures. windchills are going to be in the upper teens to about 20. the winds, about 20 miles per hour. gusts at 30. as you heard, good news, they are going to fly. afternoon highs today, looking at temperatures that are chilly here in the northeast. about 10 to 15 degrees below normal, into the plains with temperatures only into the teens. chilly in the pacific northwest. 60s down through southern texas. 70s as you make your way into southern florida. 74 in miami today. look for lake-effect snow, windy conditions and some lake-effect snow showers around, a few showers, making their way into the pacific northwest. hey, look who else is joining us? ariana grande, performs "last

christmas." it's good to see you. >> good to see you, too. i'm excited. >> and congratulations on your best new artist win at the american music awards. >> thank you very, very much! >> that was fantastic. an nypd officer moving through, he's a big fan, too. >> hi. >> what are you thankful for this year? >> my family and my music, and my fans, and -- and, yeah, i'm thankful to be here to do this today. >> you're all bundled up. are you warm enough? >> yes, i am. i think so. >> i think you are. listen, have a great time today. happy thanksgiving. hey, nice to see you, wro radio. get outta happy thanksgiving to you, bay area. what a treat we're in store for today. temperatures are going to climb into the mid to upper 60s. a couple of 70s out in the east bay and north bay for today. really comfortable. the only thing we have to deal with is mostly cloudy skies. all these clouds, though, will clear out of here by the end of

the day into tonight. a lot of people are going to kick off the shopping, so your thanksgiving forecast works like this. this is san jose. 52 degrees at 8:00 a.m. by 1:00 p.m., 63 degrees, and 66 degrees at dinner time. 5:00 p.m. hey, we can hear. everybody is just walking through. we're having a great time. let's have a parade! back to you guys. >> we're glad the balloons are flying, al. we're thankful for that. coming up on "trending." >> really exciting. >> thanksgiving no-nos. what not to say at your holiday table. >> very important. and inspiring acts of kindness. >> mr. ray rice. >> and last-minute turkey questions on the butterball hot line, right after this. on the table by not choosing the right medicare d plan. no one could have left this much money here. whoo-hoo-hoo! yet many seniors who compare medicare d plans realize they can save hundreds of dollars. cvs/pharmacy wants to help you save on medicare expenses.

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we're back now at 8:14 with a special holiday tradition of what is trending today. look who is joining us, jenna bush hager. >> hi. >> happy thanksgiving. >> get started with what i think is my game plan. do you save your calories for the big meal or do you eat mini meals throughout the day. ladies, first? >> we actually ate ours last night. i'm anchoring the "nightly news" so there's no time. >> yes. >> so i had lunch yesterday. my mom said, maybe we shouldn't have so much lunch but i think it worked because i didn't eat quite as much as i would have. >> okay. >> out of pure busyness i've

only had a cheese cube this morning down in the green room. >> a single cheese cube. >> one cheese cube and a cup of coffee. >> when you say you're saving you're saving up. >> that's my game plan, is to save. and then, according to some, they say that's the wrong move because they say then you tend to overeat. you tend to binge, you gorge. >> isn't that the point? >> consumption. it's all about consumption. >> that is the number. 4500? >> the equivalent of seven big macs, two medium pepperoni pizzas. i think you would have to run like 7.7 hours to burn off the calories. >> here's the scary thing, she will do that. >> tomorrow morning she's waking up. >> see you, kids, i'm out. meanwhile, how do you solve a problem like a hate tweet? carrie underwood is getting set to star in next week's live presentation of "the sound of music." ♪

but that gig isn't all rain drops and roses or kittens. carrie tells "entertainment weekly," quote, i quet hate tweets and stuff like, i'm not july ajulie andrews. you can see carrie's version next thursday at 8:00/7:00 central. if you're hate tweeting carrie underwood about "the sound of music" you've got to get a life. >> i visited the set and i interviewed carrie, you guys are going to be blown away by this production. december 5th here on nbc. the set is fantastic. it's beautiful. >> it's all live. >> it's all live. >> unbelievable. we are the audience. like a broadway show on tv. >> hate tweet plus "sound of music" in one sentence should never happen. >> carrie is amazing.

you want to keep the peace at the table this thanksgiving. take some notes. there are four things they say to never say at thanksgiving dinner. number four, well, somebody likes the stuffing. >> number three, do you have any salt? what that really means is this food tastes like hot garbage. >> covering it up. >> i ask for the salt all the time so i'm not offended. >> i ask for the pepper. >> how about this one, dropping some big news in the middle of -- >> that happens all the time. >> how about, can you mapass th yams, and i'm dropping out of law school. out don't want to go that route. >> finally, the last thing you should never say on thanksgiving is, are you sure you need that last glass of wine? >> oh. >> which i'm may have heard on one thanksgiving but, mom, i put it down. >> we've all heard that. all right. >> just kidding. >> that's right. well, it is throwback thursday around here. >> it's throwback thursday. we think with the parade coming

up and with all the copias amount of pie and stuffing i'm about to eat, we will throwback to our cartoons. willie, i know you're a big cartoon man. >> i didn't know i was. i will be for the sake of this conversation. we're excited about the balloons. i was a scooby-doo guy. i like scooby and scrappy, i like shaggy, the whole gang, thelma. >> sure. >> i don't know what was going on in the vans. >> we yeah, i wyeah, i was goin. >> scooby snacks. i love snoopy and the peanuts gang. when you celebrate the holidays we throw in all the dvds. there's just a classics, to go along with pumpkin pie and the peanuts gang. >> i'm not sure mine is the cartoon. kermit the frog. >> part of a cartoon. >> he's got a float. >> look at him. >> there's a cartoon. >> the muppets. >> yes. >> jenna? >> anybody that knows me, i'm a

huge cat fan. i have a cat that's very near and dear to my heart. it's thanksgiving and i love garfield! >> yes. >> garfield. barbara and i, i think, used to play out who can be garfield and who doesn't want to eat a ton of food and lay around and have everybody else do the work? >> garfield attitude. >> that's the thanksgiving spirit. >> i know. but i am thankful for cats this thanksgiving including garfield. >> and your little daughter, as well. >> of course. my daughter first, then garfield around bernadet and then bernadette. there she is. thanks for the photo. >> that is what's "trending" today. "today"'s extra yard is brought to you by walmart. tune in tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern time for a special edition of football night in america presented by walmart. and now to "today"'s extra yard, the other reason jenna is joining us this morning, you've got a cool story. >> it's great. nfl players are known for their

efforts during the game but at all other times baltimore ravens running back ray rice makes a point of spreading kindness, especially to children who are victims of bullying. they say the best offense is a good defense. and baltimore raven ray rice proves that's true off the field, working to protect some of those who need him most, children and teens who are victims of bullying. >> one thing about bullying is that you try to finances and seek why, why do these things happen. bullying the real. it happens all over. >> why do you think it's become this epidemic? >> it's become epidemic because of the power of social media, i believe. now you have the power of saying whatever you want without being conscious of how somebody feels. >> ray post this letter on his own facebook page, promising to

work for change. >> i don't think i will ever be able to understand why kids bully each other. but i do know this, i will not give up my fight. every day i will continue to fight against bullying and for kindness. >> good morning. >> and he's upholding the pledge, making kindness the focus of his ground game. while the running back is used to barreling through defenders, he also meets with kids and families as part of his anti-bullying outreach. at events rice sponsors like links of kindness, students write down their own promises to stop bullying. >> this is my buddy malachi. >> malachi has faced bullying, meeting rice has given him hope it. >> makes me feel that i know that there's other people out there just like me, it happened to them. >> reporter: the result, a community of support. >> that's about when the bullying began. >> christine whose daughter's grace committed suicide last year after being taunting on social media attends ray's events and considers him an ally

in a fight against bullying. >> one of his sayings is, you know, you can be a hero just by being someone's friend. and kids hear that and know that they have some power to make a difference. >> last spring ray testified in the maryland legislature on behalf of grace's law which makes cyber bullying a crime. >> my daughter grace really loved ray rice. it would have meant the world to grace that he was interested in her story. >> the bill passed and was enacted this fall. >> your message to kids and to bullies in particular is simple, it's be kind. >> it's simple but, you know what, it's a very powerful thing to be kind to somebody. you never know what someone's going through. you got it? there you go. >> ray lives that and says he's thankful for fans like ashton and ben, kids who inspire him to keep fighting for kindness. >> are you guys thankful foray?

>> yes! >> the powerful messages that you put out there, little things have shown that you know, i do care. give me that pass today. it beats scoring my touchdown i can ever imagine. >> and for all of you that are planning to watch football it's nice to hear these stories of the good guys on the field, as well. >> i love ray rice. >> shoutout. jenna bush hager, thank you. you can see ray rice and his ravens take on the pittsburgh steelers tonight at 8:00/7:00 central time right here on nbc. park it on the couch. it's a big game. football is the side dish to go along with today's real star, and that is the turkey. if you do have any questions and you reach out to the butterball hot line, you might be surprised by who is on the other end of the line. here's nbc's kevin tibble. >> folks, the big day is here. if your turkey is still in the freezer, you're in big trouble. but don't panic, talk turkey.

>> butterball turkey talk line, this is r.j. >> reporter: that's right, men don't just do the carving anymore, this year they're manning the phone lines, taking those frantic calls. >> don't get paranoid. you're fine. >> what's a typical male caller say aside from help? >> first of all, you got to talk them down. you got to talk them off the ledge of turkey crisis. there's really no crisis we can't handle. >> reporter: for years there's been a helpful female voice to help with those turkey catastrophes. carol miller has been doing it since the early days. >> since 1984 and i think if you do that math, it's like 29 years. i was a sweet babe then. >> reporter: butterball says these days 42% of men now play a role in cooking the turkey. but before serving up the advice, the guys here have to show their stuffing at butterball university. >> teacher, how many different ways are there to cook a turkey? >> many, many, many, many, many

different way railroads my favorite, of course, is grandma's way, in the oven, golden brown, a work of art. here, everyone has their cooking skills tested, too. >> i thought the guy was just there to cut the meat. >> well, there's nothing wrog with being the carver. but many men are actively involved with the food preparations, the actual roasting of the turkey, the five dishes. when change of times is coming. >> when it comes to turkey, some things never change. >> isn't that looking great? >> that's delicious. >> get your hands off of there. >> now, that's a thanksgiving tradition. >> apparent li there's no tasting until dinner time. for "today," nbc news, naperville, illinois. >> the man himself is joining us in the orange room. r.j., what is the number one question you're getting from our viewers today? >> we're getting thawing questions. the best method right now is the water method. 30 minutes for every one pound of turkey. >> cold water? >> cold water.

recirculate the water every 30 minutes. >> we got a quick one right here. >> okay. >> we'll get to these in just a little bit. >> keep >> time to check the thanksgiving day forecast with christina. >> happy thanksgiving to you, bay area. what a treat we're in store for today. temperatures are going to climb into the mid to upper 60s. a couple of 70s out in the east bay and north bay for today. really comfortable.

the only thing we have to deal with is mostly cloudy skies. all these clouds, though, will clear out by the end of the day, into tonight. a lot of people will actually be kicking off their shopping. your forecast works like this. this is san jose. 52. by 1:00 p.m., 63 degrees, and 66 degrees at dinner time. 5:00 p.m. >> looks like a nice day ahead. i'll have noeshg local update for you right before the big macy's thanksgiving day parade. starts at 9:00 this morning. hope you have a lovely thanksgiving.

♪ 8:30 now on this thanksgiving morning, thursday, november 28th, 2013. happy thanksgiving to all of you. especially everybody joining us on the plaza as we countdown to the big parade. >> that's right. we have a young man here, connor. you want to say happy thanksgiving to your family because you're here by yourself. >> happy thanksgiving to all of my family. i love you, mom, in pensacola, florida. happy thanksgiving! >> she got the message loud and clear. >> a little warmer in the pan handle.

just ahead this morning we have more down to the wire turkey tips from the gravy to carving. a traditional hanukkah dish as well. a lot of people heading out to the movie theater this weekend. start of the holiday movie season. coming up, the films that will keep your family entertained. a lot of them getting oscar buzz. our 20th annual holiday toy drive begins on monday. we'll have our celebrity elves gathering up gifts on the plaza. you can donate any time thanks to our partner amazon.com. just head to today.com for details. all right. let's go back out to al right now, the star of the parade. al roker. >> oh, i'm telling you. you know what, everybody is getting excited. the winds are blowing. you can see sonic is moving around a little bit there. that's why they're going to keep the balloon lower, but they're still going. the handlers will be working hard but they're going to make sure every -- the best part is, if you're along this parade

route you're going to get a fantastic view of the balloons because they're going to be that much closer to earth. so snoopy is just hanging out right there. we've got the rearview of snoopy over here. i don't know if that's what you want to see, but i love it. okay. let's look ahead. show you what we've got going on for your weekend. for tomorrow, again, fabulous day throughout much of the country. going to be cold. in fact, just about 90% of the country is going to be below average as far as those temperatures are concerned. some rain in the pacific northwest. saturday, storm system coming into the pacific northwest with snow in the interior sections. rain along the coast. mild through the gulf coast, into florida. then sunday, sunday, as you wrap up and start heading home, again, we're looking at some wet weather in the pacific northwest. some snow in the interior sections. lake-effect snow continuing in the northeast and the great lakes. much of the country though looking pretty darn good. hey, let's bring in kelly pickler, one of our favorites. happy thanksgiving.

>> happy thanksgiving. >> well, so this is great. you've got your new single "a little bit gypsy." that's going terrifically. you're going to be on the frozen fall fun float, which is not easy to say. what does thanksgiving mean to you? >> we definitely should count our blessings every day. just a moment to spend with your loved ones and be thankful for the people you do have in your life. >> one of the things i so admire you for, you've done six uso tours, and you're embarking on a seventh. >> i am. we are planning my seventh tour now. and it's always something that we look forward to every year. and we can't wait to get back over there. >> i know for security reasons you can't say when or where. god bless you. >> god bless you. thank you so much. >> happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. the sonic float, that was my first job.

>> really? >> yeah. >> what was your first job with sonic? >> a carhop. happy thanksgiving to you, bay area. well, temperatures climbing into the mid to upper 60s. really comfortable. the only thing we have to deal with is mostly cloudy skies. all the clouds, though, will clear out of here by the end of the day into tonight. a lot of people are actually going on kick off their shopping, so your thanksgiving forecast works like this. this is san jose. 52 degrees at 8:00 a.m. by 1:00 p.m., 63 degrees. 66 degrees at dinner time. 5:00 p.m. > all right, guys. happy thanksgiving. got to get ready for the big parade. have a great thanksgiving, guys. >> we'll see you in a few minutes at the parade. have a blast. it is not thanksgiving of course without the bird. if you're panicked about making the perfect turkey, take a deep breath because help is here. michael white executive chef and

owner and author of "s classicoe moderno." >> nice to be here. >> let's get into this bird. what's your approach? >> cooking a turkey is not a big a deal. i hear horror stories. listen, you want to make sure the turkey is well thawed out if you don't have a fresh turkey. wash it inside out. here the inside. this is tea. you've got to take this out. you cannot leave this inside. an hour into cooking you're going to start smelling something that's going to taste a bit like paper probably. we're going to leave that here. exactly. this is what you make your stock with. we'll do that a little bit later in the segment. we're going to season inside and out. wash this well. and then we'll do some herbs, that kind of thing. >> what are you using there? >> a little bit of bay leaf and thyme. we're going to put butter under the skin. we're always constantly self basting on the outside but this way you're going to get it on the inside. i know this kind of looks weird. >> but it tastes good.

>> it tastes good. we're going to put sage leaves up underneath here as well. >> how do you know what to put under the skin and on top? >> listen, when you're basting you have all the vegetables in the bottom of the pan. we're going to do this quickly. this is -- here we go. we're going to move this inside. instead of putting a roasting rack in the bottom we're going to put vegetables. this is going to help facilitate making the gravy which we'll talk about later. >> onion, carrots, celery. >> season on the outside, black pepper. >> basic, salt and pepper. >> you want to be aggressive with seasoning. you can't put too much on. it starts to go to the bottom. and then we're going baste throughout the day, three or four hours. this is a turkey we haven't stuffed. you could stuff the turkey. but sometimes people who stuff the turkey and then put it in the refrigerator and leave it overnight. kind of dangerous. we like to do it -- if you're going to stuff the turkey, do it right before you put it in the oven. >> we're going to check back

with you in a couple of minutes. see you in a second. carving tips as well, and prepare special treats for hanukkah. now let's head over to natalie. >> willie, thank you. now to more of our annual series thanks and giving, highlighting the great work of st. jude children's research hospital. this morning a twist of fate that may have saved one young life. >> i just always wanted to go skydiving. i was fearful of heights. i had done rock climbing and parasailing but the culmination of it all when i sky dived. >> it was a goal that austin set for his 18th birthday but his history of migraines and nausea worried his parents so much they consulted a neurologist. >> i said, hey, do we really want to have him jump out of an airplane without knowing for sure what's causing these headaches? >> reporter: an mri was ordered an an hour later the doctor had devastating news.

>> the darkest day of my life. the physician tells you, as a parent, that your child has a brain tumor. >> when i was diagnosed it was actually three days before my 18th birthday. i did try and get the neurologist to postpone everything, just for me to go skydiving. they weren't too happy with that idea, so i did have surgery the day before. i was unconscious for most of my birthday. >> reporter: tests revealed the tumor was cancer, stage iv. >> if he had not been diagnosed when he was he probably wouldn't have lasted but just a few more weeks. >> everything in my mind is clouded by this idea that i have cancer. >> reporter: his doctor suggested the family seek out specialists. >> there's only a few that can handle this kind of situation with a child. and st. jude was highly recommended.

>> austin had blastoma. it's the most common brain tumor in children and adolescents. given the appropriate treatment we can cure more than 80% of these tumors. >> when austin arrived at st. jude, though his mind was intact, he suffered from the physical side effects of the brain surgery. >> i was paralyzed. i was cross-eyed. i needed to take it slow. >> reporter: workout videos and physical therapy kept him moving. that dream to go skydiving inspired him to do everything possible to get better. and within months, he was back on his feet. >> wheelchair to walker to walker to cane. i just felt healthier. i just felt more active. >> reporter: austin graduated from high school and started college at the university of missouri. and turned his attention to making his ultimate dream a reality. >> i survived cancer, so why not this? >> i didn't want him to do it

but he's been through so much the last year, i figured, he's done that, this will be fine. >> i'm feeling very, very nervous but at the same time completely calm. ready to jump out. >> reporter: finally, just one year later, in honor of his 19th birthday -- >> where i was a year ago, this is where i wanted to be. and here's where i am now. this year has been like a black hole, but it didn't affect the rest of my life. >> and marlo thomas is the outreach director for st. jude. marlo, good morning. how well does st. jude's do when it comes to the research for a brain tumors? >> what's exciting is this is brand new this year, in just one year. up until now scientists and doctors everywhere believed that it was one brain tumor. through our project we realize now that it's four. so that means all of the children that weren't making it were being treated exactly the

same way because they thought it was only one type. it's four types. so they showed us there's four. now that information has gone to the clinic which means they will be saving four more children for every disease. this is very exciting. very exciting. >> the cure rates have increased. >> the genome project has made this possible. >> breaking news. >> breaking news today. marlo thomas, thank you so much. thanks to all that you do. and if you do want to -- we want to know as well what you are thankful for this holiday season. coming up next, what you should see this weekend and what to watch for in the week ahead. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ we're back now at 8:43. look at the parade route about to get under way, meanwhile, the long thanksgiving weekend marks the kickoff of the holiday movie

season. senior editor at "variety" is here. let's dig in to some ones we can watch right now beginning with the latest hunger games movie "catching fire." >> have you seen it yet? >> i have not. it's on my list. appeals to men and women alike, right? >> it had the biggest opening in november ever last weekend doing really well. probably going to make about $200 million as of last night. starring jennifer lawrence and it's going to probably open at number one again this weekend at the box office. >> i imagine so. okay now, for the younger set. my son came home raving about "frozen" yesterday. great reviews, right? >> it is for younger people. it's based on snow queen of disney animated movie, lots of music, talking snow men and fun for the family. >> a lot of people talking about a more serious film getting raves from critics. >> oscar buzz. true story and stars an irish woman who goes on this road trip to find a son that she gave up for adoption.

it's a tearjerker. it's really good. >> it's a true story, as well. a lot of oscar buzz in the film studios getting all ready, rolling out the red carpet for the most part and some of these films opening up in december "the wolf of wall street." >> this is the fifth time leonardo dicaprio and martin skor say zee have worked together. this movie is two hours and 59 minutes, you probably want to get a bathroom break before. >> a snack break while you're at it. >> exactly. all right. let's talk about christmas day. this is from our sister company universal based on a true story called "lone survivor." >> it's based on a book and you've covered his story about a navy s.e.a.l. expedition in

afghanistan which goes horribly long and a great cast. >> great actors there. also some other oscar worthy films to watch, let's start off with "american hustle," this is the next david o. russell film. >> he brings back bradley cooper as an fbi agent and it's about an -- >> and jennifer lawrence. >> a lot of fbi sting operation. kind of goes wrong. christian bale is in it, as well. another oscar nomination, she's so good in this movie. >> the crew is back together but more added on with great actors. >> yeah. >> exactly. how about this one, you were just telling us about, "mr. banks." >> it's a disney movie about the behind the scenes making of "mary poppins." it stars emma thomas. the author of "mary poppins." she's fantastic in this movie. she's won two oscars. tom hanks plays walt disney. >> blockbuster films and i think a lot of people looking forward to the next installment of "the hobbit." >> there's that second -- good. >> thank you.

>> this is the second hobbit movie, the fifth "lord of the rings" movie by peter jackson. orlando bloom comes back. he went away and now he's back. the fans are excited about that. >> skip ahead quickly to "anchor man 2," the anticipation is building. >> will ferrell comes back. >> they moved up the release date, too. >> december 18th. >> they moved it up. >> the whole cast is back. so is the blazer. >> lots of cameos in it, as well. >> great round-up. happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. coming up next, the right way to carve your thanksgiving turk turkey. plus, a secret ingredient to add some kick to your gravy.

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back now at 8:49 with "today's" kitchen and the feasting prepared by chef michael white. the turkey cooked amazingly

fast. magic of television, done. >> we're going to make a little bit of gravy now. previously we put the turkey in, roasted. we had all the vegetables on the bottom. that's what helps make this fantastic gravy. these are pan drippings and we have stock that we made with the neck and giblets we had before. the nice roasting juices with flour. about two tablespoons. >> right on the burner. >> right on the burner. get all the good drippings put up and what we do is we're cooking, making a roux or a thickening agent with the pan drippings. and at the same time then we will be drizzling a little bit of the chicken stock in here -- pardon me, turkey stock. you see how it washes away. we will bring this to a simmer. pass it through a strainer. and you have gravy. >> that's your gravy. a think a lot of chatter all the time is talking about how difficult things are and we hear the horror stories. very, very quickly.

now, as you know that have a lot here today because it's the first time in 150 years, something like that? it's going to be quite a long time before we have that again. >> 79,000, i'm told. >> we're going to be long gone. >> right. >> in this instance, now, we put a little bit of sour cream and we are in the season of pomegranates so we're using pomegranates instead of apple sauce. apple sauce is fine to go with it as well. but to change it up a little bit. >> potatoes. >> potatoes. >> sour cream. >> sour cream. the real trick to do latkes is making sure that you grate them and you wash them a bit. you don't want to wash all the starch off but dry them well with a towel and roll them up because that's one of the tricks to it. i really, really like all the crispy bits around the outside. these are the good things. and it doesn't get too custardy in the middle. sometimes it gets a little thick. >> what keeps them from falling apart?

>> there's a little bit of -- we have them here. we have a little bit of egg wash, egg, just a little bit of that. some people puts matzo in. but if you wash the potatoes in lightly and dry them well, you won't have a problem. >> hand shape them? >> actually just with a spoon, go right inside and cook them very, very quickly. and then they're really easy to warm up, heat. you put them on a rack and you can do them ahead of time and warm them in 300-degree oven. latkes all afternoon. >> here's another potato dish. >> this is potato au graten. this is the 4500 calories we were talking about. the great technique is to do the potatoes slice and cooked them a bit before we put them inside so it levels out. instead of putting raw potatoes and cream we do a little bit beforehand and cuts down on the cooking time. you can watch a little more football that way. >> what's your secret to slicing the bird? >> always want to go against the grain of the meat.

>> we have a big knife here. >> if the striations of the meat are this way, you always want to go this way. never go with the grain. it can be very, very tough. just slice easily. >> get that, willie, when you carve that turkey? >> do you like the electric carving utensil? you don't, i can tell by your reaction. >> i hesitate. i was thinking of a story. sometimes one of these -- you hear all of these things. someone tried to catch the electric knife. you can imagine. >> ow. >> exactly. if the knife falls, whether it's electric or not, let it fall, and move your feet. >> you can see the sage coming through. beautiful. beautiful bird there. >> thank you. driving to baltimore for the nfl ball game. just like last year it will be presented to the player of the game. you can catch it all, all of the action that starts tonight at 8:00, 7:00 central time. >> this is the actual bird. are you sure this is going to make it there?

should i just take it home? >> that one is going to baltimore. back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc. back now at 8:55, the big

moment almost here. if start of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. we want to check in quickly in the orange room with r.j. how is it doing with the bird? >> a lot of questions about defrosting and cooking times. >> how about stuffing, r.j.? stuff during or leave it

outside? >> i prefer the stuffing in the turkey. >> all right. >> i like the taste of that. >> it brings the drippings right into the stuffing. i love it that way. >> i like it that way, too. some people who don't. >> good advice. >> anyway. >> thanks, r.j. >> savannah and al are all standing by. they're going to bring the parade live to you. have a great thanksgiving, everyone. >> happy thanksgiving to all of you. enjoy the parade. it's going to be a great one. the a very good morning to you. i'm laura garcia cannon. san jose police looking for two people who she they satisfy shot and killed a man and woman this morning. the victims are expected to survive. want to take a look at the forecast now. thanks, laura. we have high and midlevel clouds streaming in, and maybe isolated showers later on today. otherwise, just about perfection for your thanksgiving thursday.

look at these numbers. temperatures going to end up in the mid 60s. 70s in some cases out in the north bay. that's the east bay as well. the south bay today, 68 degrees. back to you, laura. >> thank you very much. stay with us. our coverage of the macy's day parade begins in just a few minutes. have a wonderful thanksgiving. [ male announcer ] some things are simply better at home.

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♪ good morning, everyone. happy thanksgiving. i'm matt lauer, coming to you live on 34th street in midtown manhattan. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. and you are about to see the best in family entertainment. >> over the next three hours, over this very stretch of street, we will greet over 8,000 marchers. you'll also see spectacular floats, giant balloons, performances from broadway's top musicals. >> and the finest bands, cheerleaders, and dancers in the land. plus the world's most popular recording artists! >> now, savannah and i are joined by macy's great american marching band. 245 students representing the top high school musicians from all 50 states. and right now, each and every